When an election was in the offing and 60 Minutes was paying attention, Congress voted a couple of years ago to finally remove the exemption that protected Congress and its staff from insider trading laws that apply to everyone else.

So... with very little fanfare, Congress quietly rolled back a big part of the law late last week. Specifically the part that required staffers to post disclosures about their financial transactions, so that the public could make sure there was no insider trading going on. Congress tried to cover up this fairly significant change because they, themselves, claimed that it would pose a "national risk" to have this information public. A national risk to their bank accounts.

It was such a national risk that Congress did the whole thing quietly, with no debate. The bill was introduced in the Senate on Thursday and quickly voted on late that night when no one was paying attention. Friday afternoon (the best time to sneak through news), the House picked it up byunanimous consent. The House ignored its own promise to give Congress three days to read a bill before holding a vote, because this kind of thing is too important to let anyone read the bill before Congress had to pass it.

Politicians are scumbags - lying, dishonest, vile disgusting,money-grubbily scumbags. I am sure nobody is surprised by this ugly, but all too typical, behavior. These scumbags are the best government money can buy.

gregnullet

I doubt they're best we can buy. They"re just like a story Molly Ivins had about a representative from Texas. The guy took the cash and then voted the other way. When the client complained, the rep said, "Well, you knew I was crooked when you gave me the money."
And really, if we could find some legislators worth paying for, I'd start a subscription. We need some talent in Washington. These hacks are a ruination.